


In a Land of Myths and a Time of Dragons

by RuneOak



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Merlin (TV)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Flying, Gen, Magic, Magic-Users, Pre-Hogwarts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-01
Updated: 2014-10-01
Packaged: 2018-02-19 13:06:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2389319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RuneOak/pseuds/RuneOak
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“The thing was, Charlie did concentrate on the destination but he always ended up a little…off. For example, the last time they had tried to apparate next to the lake which was his favourite place to take a mid-summer day dip, so the next thing he knew, he was in an old lady’s bath…”</p>
            </blockquote>





	In a Land of Myths and a Time of Dragons

**Author's Note:**

> Neither HP nor Merlin is mine (duh).  
> Written some time back for the HPHoliday's Fantastic Men fest. Beta-ed by Pawpawpaku

“Alright, boys, one more time!” Arthur Weasley looked at his two eldest sons, making sure they were ready. “Remember the three rules?” he asked, just to be sure.

“Yeah Charlie,” Bill said in a deliberately low voice so Arthur wouldn’t hear, looking at his younger brother and grinning. “It starts with ‘Destination’, not ‘getting lost’.”

“Shut up,” Charlie hissed back, trying to cut him out and concentrate. He was not apparating into some poor woman’s bathtub again. He was already scarred for life from that first time.

“Destination, determination, deliberation,” Arthur announced, not having heard or possibly ignoring Bill’s comment. Maybe it was Charlie’s imagination, but Arthur seemed to have put extra emphasis on the first word. He scowled.

The thing was, Charlie did concentrate on the destination (the hill near their home, this time) but he always ended up a little…off. His mind seemed to concentrate on what the destination was associated with rather than the place itself. For example, the last time they had tried to apparate next to the lake which was his favourite place to take a mid-summer day dip, and the next thing he knew, he was in an old lady’s bath…

Er, right. Not thinking about that. Stoatshead hill. He could almost see it if he craned his head – it was above everything else in its vicinity. He could do this. He drew in a breath, looked up at his father and nodded once.

“On three now boys, one, two – THREE!”

Charlie had tried his best to clear his head but the thought of being in a place higher than everything else was somehow being difficult to let go of. He heard a crack, which meant Bill had disapparated. He squeezed his eyes together and—

He knew he had done it, but kept his eyes closed for a moment longer anyway. Somehow, even though the wind blowing was clearly cooler and stronger than his backyard, he knew he had not made it to Stoatshead Hill. For one thing, he was straddling something, not standing up as he had been. For another, the ‘thing’ was moving. At an alarming rate.

“Oh! Where did you come from?” said a pleasant voice, which made him open his eyes hurriedly. There was a man sitting in front of him, facing the other way, but his head was turned to look at Charlie over his shoulder. Charlie looked down to find – no way! Charlie scrambled forward and caught the man around his waist, unable to believe it.

“You alright, son?” the man said again, causing Charlie to look at him with disbelieving eyes. The man looked to be in his early twenties from what he could tell, and for a moment Charlie felt indignant that he called him ‘son’.

That thought flew out of his mind as the dragon they were sitting on suddenly dipped down a little before stabilizing again. Charlie gripped the man tighter and squeezed his eyes shut.

“Shhh, it’s alright, Aithusa,” the man said, but when Charlie opened his eyes again, he saw that the man was soothing the dragon, not him. He continued to look, enraptured, as the dragon stopped creating turbulence and seemed to calm down.

“Are you okay?” the man asked again, and Charlie remembered to nod this time, although he wasn’t sure he was.

“I…” he started but his throat was dry so he cleared his throat and tried again. “I was trying to apparate and um…”

“Oh dear,” the man said, sounding amused. “Seems like someone wasn’t concentrating on their destination, eh son?” he said, winking at him over his shoulders. Charlie frowned.

“I did concentrate I just—“

“Oh I was only pulling your leg,” the man chuckled. “I don’t like apparating either. This way is much better, isn’t it?”

He didn’t wait for a reply, but said a few words to the dragon that Charlie did not understand, and the dragon eventually landed in a clearing with an almighty lurch. Charlie still clung to the man, trying to get his breathing to calm down.

“Right,” the man said after a moment, “You can get off here then.”

Charlie blinked.

“But, where are we? How do I go home?”

“We are in Romania, of course. The only land in this time where dragons can still feel their magic.”

Charlie’s mouth fell open.

“Ro... Romania? I apparated from England to Romania?”

“From England? That’s mighty impressive, lad,” the man said, looking mildly surprised. As Charlie watched, he slid down to the ground with the ease of someone who had probably done it a thousand times. Charlie realized then that he was the only person still sitting on the dragon’s back. He scrambled down as fast as he could. The dragon growled in annoyance.

The man chuckled, and then looked at his dragon and said, “What say, girl? Are you up for it?”

The dragon did a snuffle at the question, and the man chuckled pleasantly. “Oh he didn’t know better,” he continued talking to the dragon as if it had actually replied. “I’m sure he didn’t step on your scales on purpose.” He patted the place where Charlie had used as a step ladder to climb down.

“Wait a second,” Charlie spoke out as he realized what was about to happen. “I have to ride the dragon again?”

“Well, you do want to go home, don’t you?”

“Umm, yes, but…”

“Oh don’t worry, Aithusa will behave this time. She was just being a cranky bird.” When Charlie still looked doubtful, he said “Look, you’re a wizard, right? You’ve ridden on broomsticks?”

“Of course! I’m the Gyffindor captain at Hogwarts,” Charlie replied automatically.

“Hogwarts huh? I should have guessed. Good for you, lad. Anyway, it is going to be much the same, I promise.”

Charlie wasn’t looking at the man, though. He was transfixed by the dragon looking at him. He moved forward in a daze, and stopped just in front of its head. The dragon considered him for a moment before moving the tiniest step forward and touching its nose to Charlie’s upturned palm.

“Wow,” Charlie breathed.

“Look at that,” the man said. “She likes you. I’m jealous, it took me way longer than that to make friends with Aithusa here.”

“Aithusa,” Charlie repeated unconsciously. The dragon made a small noise in its throat in reply. Charlie grinned. He looked at the man to see that he was looking back at them fondly.

“Seems like you’re a natural, kid,” he said.

“Who are you?” Charlie asked for the first time. “How do you have a dragon?”

The man’s grin grew positively mischievous.

“They called me Emrys for a while, and I am a dragonlord,” he said, which didn’t make much sense to Charlie so he frowned.

“You might know me better as Merlin.”

“Merlin?” Charlie’s eyes popped out. “The Merlin? The Merlin that…that Merlin?”

“Maybe,” the man laughed.

“I mean, are you the Merlin from the chocolate frog cards?”

The man laughed whole-heartedly at that. Charlie’s cheeks grew pink.

“Why yes, dear boy. I am ‘the Merlin’ from the cards.”

“But aren’t you… dead?” 

“Not really. See, I am waiting for somebody to wake up. The clotpole is taking his own sweet time. But you must not tell anyone about that, okay? It’s kind of a big deal to me.”

“Of…of course,” Charlie said, not sure whether to believe him or not. He vowed to himself then that after he got home he would have to go over to Romania himself to check out the dragons on his own.

The strange man – Merlin – gave him a wink as if he knew what Charlie’s thoughts were. He climbed onto the dragon’s back and gestured for him to do the same.

“Let’s get you home, young man,” he said.

Charlie scrambled on behind him.

“Hold on tight! It’s going to be a long ride,” Merlin seemed entirely too happy about it.

After the ride back home though, Charlie thought he agreed with him. If there were such brilliant ways to get around, he was never trying apparition again.

 


End file.
